The 12 Injuries of Christmas

Posted By The Stewart Law Firm, PLLC || 11-Dec-2018

Each Christmas, families gather together to open presents and enjoy a delicious
meal. While the Christmas spirit is associated with pleasant and merry
connotations, there is, unfortunately, a reason emergency rooms remain
a popular Christmas destination. To help you avoid any preventable hospital
visits, our Austin personal injury lawyers have created a list of 12 common
(and avoidable!) holiday-related injuries.

Follow this guide to stay safe this holiday season:

Be Careful While Driving: Between poor weather conditions and reckless drivers, it can be incredibly
dangerous to travel on Christmas week. To stay safe, make sure your vehicle
is in proper working order, keep your eyes on the road (no cell phones!),
follow local and state traffic laws, don’t drive while intoxicated,
and be way of pedestrians.

Check Your Wires: The U.S. Fire Administration reports that holiday fires kill more than
400 Americans each year. These Christmas injuries and fatalities are often
due to fires caused by holiday lights and Christmas trees. You can protect
your home and family by taking proper safety precautions; for example,
don’t use damaged wires and avoid overloading the electrical circuits.

Choose the Right Tree: For many, Christmas Day isn’t complete without a brilliantly decorated
tree. However, it’s important to take certain precautions if you
want to avoid a fire. For instance, if you choose a live tree, make sure
its branches aren’t dried out. If you have any questions about your
tree-of-choice, you can ask an employee at the Christmas tree lot for
guidance. It’s also important to place your tree far away from any
fireplaces or furnaces. Alternatively, if you have a fake tree that you
enjoy putting out each year, make sure the product and its decorations
are nonflammable.

Pick the Right Ornaments: Countless American families have turned Christmas tree decorating into
a holiday tradition. After you drag out those old boxes of ornaments,
make sure to carefully examine each item for cracks and other damages
before handing them off to your unwary family members. Broken Christmas
tree ornaments are responsible for thousands of cuts each year.

Avoid Trips, Slips & Falls: Decorating the home is serious business for many Texas residents. Sadly,
many people sustain grievous injuries when hanging up and taking down
decorations. To avoid preventable falls, make sure your ladder is stable
and that you’re working in a clear area. We also recommend having
an assistant for your decorating endeavors. If an accident occurs, they
can contact emergency services on your behalf.

Watch Your Kids: Colorful decorations and wrapped presents light up a child’s Christmas
spirit like nothing else can. At the same time, young children have a
tendency to swallow small objects or stick them in places that necessitate
emergency room visits. In fact, hundreds of children are rushed to hospitals
each year because they swallowed ornaments, lights, magnets, and toys.

Party Responsibly: Some people tend to go overboard when it comes to celebrating Christmas.
If you’re hosting or attending a party this year, be careful to
avoid drinking too much. If you don’t feel comfortable driving,
catch a lift from a friend or hire a ride. Also, be wary of slipping on
ice if your post-party coordination isn’t on point.

Protect Your Back: Between lifting heavy boxes, trees, and Christmas displays, it’s
easy to seriously injure your back. Try to avoid lifting heavy objects
without a second set of hands. You don’t want to spend Christmas
Day in bed!

Put Down that Knife: An unfortunate number of people use kitchen knives to trim their Christmas
trees and open presents. These kitchen utensils are certainly sharp enough
to get the job done, but you might lose a finger in the process. Stick
to safe and durable scissors.

Use the Right Tools: Some decorations require a little more creativity than others. If you’re
planning an elaborate lawn display or light show, make sure that you’re
safely utilizing the proper construction tools.

Pay Attention to the Weather: Before you prepare to travel or put up Christmas lights, check the weather
report and consider your options. A vicious gust of wind can knock you
off a ladder, so you may want to save decorating for a later date. It’s
true that you may not have a choice when it comes to traveling, but make
sure that you’re driving a safe vehicle that can handle the weather
conditions.

Be Wary of Poisonous Plants: Several popular holiday plans are poisonous for humans and pets. This
list includes: holly, mistletoe, ivy, yew, and poinsettias. Adults and
older children should handle these plants with gloves and wash their hands
before consuming any food. If you have these plants in your home, keep
a careful watch on your younger children.

Christmas, like any holiday, is not free from dangers. Even so, many risks
associated with this holiday can be mitigated by exercising cautions.

Injured on Christmas? Contact Our Firm

At The Stewart Law Firm, PLLC, we hope that you have a safe and joyous
holiday season. However, if you’re injured due to the negligent
actions of another person or entity, contact our
personal injury lawyers in Austin. We can investigate your case and help you recover damages that facilitate
your physical and financial recovery process.